Zheng Qingyuan certainly noticed that scene.
His heart was heavy.
Initially, he had wanted Qiao Liuyue to take Xie Linchuan away, but now, he felt a tightness in his chest.
His tone was sharp: "You choke just from drinking milk tea—must have an underdeveloped cerebellum."
"You—!!!" Xie Linchuan was about to snap back, but Qiao Liuyue shot him a warning glance.
He immediately shut up.
After all, he was now her lackey, and had to behave and not stir up trouble.
As for this meal,
Dong Jiaoyan was quite satisfied, and the dark-skinned senior across from her was also delighted.
He even brought out pre-prepared flowers.
"Jiaojiao, this is for you. In my heart, you're as beautiful and charming as a rose."
Dong Jiaoyan took the flowers and gave a perfunctory smile.
As her gaze swept over, she noticed a small black swan necklace hidden among the roses.
It was from a light luxury crystal jewelry brand, whose main line was the black swan series—necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings.
Her eyes immediately lit up.
Remembering that the senior who introduced her at the matchmaking event had mentioned this senior's family owned a small company, her smile grew even brighter.
"Thank you, senior. I really like it."
The dark-skinned senior scratched his head and said with a grin, "Jiaojiao, since I met you, there's been something on my mind, but I want to tell you now."
"Senior, we've only known each other for a week. Some things are too fast." Dong Jiaoyan played coy, but inwardly, she was thinking about whether he had financial resources; she still needed to test that.
One necklace to be her boyfriend? As if!
As for his looks, though he couldn't compare to Xie Linchuan, he was younger and more handsome than Suifeng, and being a gym guy, he was tall with a strong build.
A boyfriend like that would be a real showstopper to show off!
The dark-skinned senior, a straightforward guy, quickly nodded when he heard her: "Okay, I'll wait."
Dong Jiaoyan lowered her head with a shy smile, softly acknowledging him.
The second floor truly had the best view.
This little drama was clear to all three people watching.
Zheng Qingyuan was relieved he had woken up early, and cast a gleefully smug glance at Xie Linchuan.
Xie Linchuan clenched his fists, his eyes red, itching to go downstairs and have it out with Dong Jiaoyan.
Meanwhile, Qiao Liuyue watched the scene calmly. After taking in the moment, she took a sip of tea.
She pressed the service bell on the table.
Soon, a waiter entered.
"Guests, how was your meal today? Are you satisfied?"
"Satisfied." Qiao Liuyue nodded with a smile.
Zheng Qingyuan was about to pull out his phone to pay the bill, but Qiao Liuyue pushed his hand back and said, "You don't need to pay. There's a sucker footing the bill today."
"Sucker?" Zheng Qingyuan asked, confused.
Qiao Liuyue smiled slyly. "Exactly." Her gaze landed on Xie Linchuan.
Xie Linchuan immediately shook his head.
"Huh? My treat? That's not what you said before."
He was miserable enough—being dumped on Valentine's Day, watching his girlfriend on a date with someone else, and he couldn’t even go downstairs to confront her.
Qiao Liuyue glanced at the bill amount, pulled some red bills out of her wallet, and handed them to the waiter:
"Check, please."
"Keep the change."
The waiter chuckled, "Thank you. Wishing you three sweetness and lasting happiness."
Only after they left the private room did Xie Linchuan, still dazed, not quite process what had happened.
"Didn't you say I was paying? Why did you pull out your own money?"
Qiao Liuyue shook her wallet and said with a smile, "Who said this was my money? Thanks for picking up the tab today, Boss Xie."
"Me?" Xie Linchuan was even more confused.
When had he ever given Qiao Liuyue money?
Zheng Qingyuan was equally puzzled. "What's going on?"
Qiao Liuyue unlocked her phone and opened up a photo.
It was clearly a picture of the gift box Xie Linchuan had meticulously prepared, carelessly tossed in a corner of the dorm room. Even his handwritten card was lying on the yellowed tile floor, with a faint shoe print on it.
"Dong Jiaoyan didn't think your gifts were worth anything."
"This morning before she left, she decided to pawn off these 'junk gifts' on me as a favor."
Xie Linchuan's eyes reddened, his gaze flickering as his fists tightened.
His heartfelt efforts being so casually dismissed would hurt anyone.
Especially since, to prepare for this gift, he had worked as a gaming companion from the moment he opened his eyes for the past while, saving up every bit of money.
Zheng Qingyuan glanced at Xie Linchuan with some sympathy.
Though they were both in a bad way, Xie Linchuan seemed to have it worse—Dong Jiaoyan had completely fooled him.
"So, you sold those gifts and used the money to pay for this meal?" He naturally assumed that was the case.
But Qiao Liuyue shook her head.
She looked at Xie Linchuan with a smile.
His chest was heaving heavily, his lips bitten, and his eyes were red.
If she scolded him a bit more, he might start crying.
Zheng Qingyuan: "Huh? Really?"
Qiao Liuyue swiped her phone to the left, jumping to the next picture.
In that adorable pink-blue box, beneath the top layer of raffia grass and everyday gifts, was a gold bracelet Xie Linchuan had carefully chosen, along with a stack of crisp red banknotes.
The stack was about the thickness of a finger, roughly ten thousand yuan.
But Dong Jiaoyan had been too impatient.
Seeing the few hundred yuan gifts on top, she had assumed the bottom was filled with cheap snacks.
Who would have thought
Xie Linchuan had been so thoughtful this time, even draining his wallet to splurge on this gift.
Only to have it thrown aside like trash.
If watching Dong Jiaoyan laughing and chatting with another man at a Western restaurant on Valentine's Day was the first blow to Xie Linchuan,
Then this carefully prepared yet discarded gift was the final straw.
Dong Jiaoyan had betrayed his sincerity and toyed with his feelings.
After a long silence,
Xie Linchuan finally spoke in a low voice, "Thank you for telling me the truth. You can keep those things."
He meant the gold bracelet and the remaining cash.
"I'll give them back to you. Otherwise, when Dong Jiaoyan finds out the gifts at the bottom were worth that much, she'll come making a scene with me."
Qiao Liuyue was prepared.
She placed the items she had brought on the table and pushed them toward Xie Linchuan.
...
Late on Valentine's Day night, Chu Xubai got a call from his buddy to go to a bar. He was annoyed but couldn't refuse—since the friend had come all the way to Nancheng for once, and Chu Xubai was a bit of a local host, he had to make an appearance.
As soon as he walked in, he saw Xie Linchuan, drunk and disheveled, looking utterly dejected.
Chu Xubai snatched the glass from his hand.
"What's going on? Said you called me for drinks, but you're already wasted before I even got here!"
He could vaguely guess.
Flying over especially to surprise Dong Jiaoyan on Valentine's Day—probably the surprise had turned into a shock.
Xie Linchuan slurred drunkenly, "Little Fatty, you were right. I’m just blind."
Chu Xubai loosened his fist, then clenched it again.
He gave his buddy a light punch.
And repeated, seriously: "I told you—don't call me Little Fatty!"
